


Entering Orbit

by Kolivans (arka_r)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Bi Disaster Zarkon, Interspecies Awkwardness, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Mutual Pining, Teacher-Student Relationship, Young Zarkon, gay disaster shiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-02 03:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15787809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Kolivans
Summary: College AU/timeline mash up. Ever since the First Contact between two worlds, the relationship between Humans from Earth and Galra from Daibazaal became even closer. More and more Galra were staying on Earth and vice versa.Shiro was a Human who was selected for a scholarship program to study at Orivas Institute, Planet Daibazaal. Little did he know that his life would be a wild ride.Past relationships: Shiro/Adam, Zarkon/Trigel, Zarkon/Alfor, Zarkon/Honerva





	1. Chapter 1

Shiro felt anticipation bubbling inside his stomach, when he saw Planet Daibazaal on the viewer next to his seat. 

 

From up here, the planet looked so alien, so different from Earth. Its red and brownish surface was partially covered by fluffy white clouds. The planet itself was not round-shaped and Shiro wondered how it affected its rotation, how it could maintain its orbit around its star, how life could thrive on its surface. 

 

He couldn’t wait to live there and learn everything he could about the planet that became Earth’s first interstellar ally.

 

The flight attendant, a Galra with fluffy ears whose name escaped him, announced to the passengers that they would be entering the planet’s orbit. Shiro already knew that all Galran vessels were so advanced that it could do its own atmospheric entry too, but still, he marveled at this fact. All Earth’s vessels were still incapable of atmospheric entry without being torn apart by the gravity.

 

The atmospheric entry went so smoothly that Shiro could barely feel it. Before he knew it, the cruiser stopped its descent and docked without a single bump. The flight attendants then began to guide the passengers to finally exit the cruiser and enter the spaceport.

 

There was a large viewer that revealed the skyscape of the city. Daibazaal’s sun, Hili, was dimmer than Earth’s sun, and the planet’s atmosphere colored the sky in red and orange hues. He took a picture of it as a reminder.

 

He finally arrived at Oradis Province.

 

—

 

Roughly twenty years ago, humanity achieved interstellar travel. Though it was the barest minimum they were capable of, it was enough to attract the attention of another civilization from beyond the solar system—older beings called the Galra, who lived hundreds of lightyears away from Earth.

 

There were a lot of fear and panic when the first cruisers began to appear on Earth’s sky. But then humanity realized that the Galra meant no harm—they were simply curious of Earth’s recent development. Then, once all diplomatic tensions were gone, it was decided that the two civilizations should be learning about each other in a peaceful exchange program.

 

The exchange program also included students wanting to study abroad. Shiro was among the first students to be selected out of millions candidates from Earth and Mars colony. He was elated, of course—it was practically a dream come true, especially due to his osteoarthritis that had been plaguing him since he was a teenager.

 

The Galra who counseled him for the exchange program, Gnov, reassured him that by accepting the exchange program, he was rightfully under their Emperor’s protection—which meant he would receive several benefits, like medical treatment to cure his osteoarthritis. Of course, Gnov told him that the treatment he would receive would be mostly experimental as the Galra was still trying to grasp human biology to be applied to their medical technology. It might not work as intended, she told him. 

 

Shiro told the counselor that he didn’t mind that.

 

But Adam  _ did _ mind. Shiro felt a stab of pain as he remembered about their argument before he left. Adam was highly doubtful that the Galra could cure Shiro. He was supportive of Shiro’s decision to take the opportunity, of course, but he didn’t want to be there to watch it fail.

 

In the end, they broke up respectfully and went their separate ways.

 

Still, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

 

—

 

A Galra named Trugg accompanied Shiro and his group of exchange students. She explained that Oradis Province was one of the biggest and oldest provinces on Planet Daibazaal.

 

The Galra were  _ old _ , as a species. Their history stretched five millennia back from way before the Galra achieved interstellar travel.  It showed on their architecture and city planning—there was this ancient aura emanating from the alien city that surrounded him. 

 

Trugg then explained that there were four prominent cities on Oradis Province: Orivas, Vortas, Kuvnir, and Yerevna. Shiro listened to everything keenly, eager to learn everything about the planet he would be living for several years.

 

The spaceport he landed at, Vortas Interstellar Spaceport, was one of the biggest spaceports on Daibazaal. It located in the vast expanse of Oradis Desert and had been managed by one of the most influential family on Daibazaal, the Dai’Vortari family, for roughly one millennia. 

 

From there, he would take a train to Orivas, where he would be studying at Orivas Institute of Technology. 

 

On the train, he finally had time to check the comm device he was given at the beginning of his trip and called the first number there. Almost immediately, Keith’s face appeared on the screen; he was pouting, Shiro realized.

 

“I told you to call me once you landed”, Keith grumbled, crossing his arms. “How’s Daibazaal?”

 

“It’s very… red”, Shiro answered diplomatically. The entire planet was practically red—red trees, red bushes, red sand. The only color variation on the planet was mostly man-made… Galran-made? The buildings were black, but the people were dressed in rich colors of purple, silver, and even gold.

 

“You’re staying at Orivas, right? Have fun, I heard they have sandstorm six months out of ten every year”, Keith retorted cheekily. It took Shiro awhile to remember that Keith had visited Daibazaal before.

 

Keith’s mom was one of the first Galra crew that made First Contact with Earth. Her union with Keith’s human dad was celebrated as something that united their people. Of course Keith had visited his mother's homeplanet more than once.

 

“I think I'll be okay", Shiro rolled his eyes. While Vortas was located at the desert, Orivas was built in the middle of an oasis. The whole city was encased in a gigantic particle barrier to protect the city from the harsh environment.

 

“At least you’ll be somewhere warm. I thought I would lose a toe whenever I came to visit Loria”, Keith grumbled. Loria Colony was the homeplanet of Keith’s mother and it was located at some icy planet a few lightyears away from Daibazaal.

 

“Have you been at Orivas before?” Shiro asked, curious.

 

“Once or twice.” Keith gave him a small shrug. “It’s an interstellar hub; the Orivans won’t be super weird about outsiders like the Lorians. You’ll be fine.”

 

Shiro smiled at that—he and Adam used to help Keith through his panic attacks about visiting his alien mom’s homeplanet, and now Keith was the one who helped him through his anxiety. His friend had really matured a lot.

 

“Thanks, Keith. That means a lot”, he said, before he heard the train-wide announcement that it would be arriving at the Great Station of Orivas soon. “Whoops, that’s my stop. Talk to you later?”

 

“Sure. Have fun”, Keith grinned at him before the screen cut off. Shiro grabbed his backpack and made sure that he didn’t leave anything behind, before waiting for the train to stop.

 

The Great Station of Orivas, while magnificent, looked somewhat similar to train stations back on Earth. Murals lined its wall; though the colors were too dark for Shiro to see every single detail, the large majority of them seemed to depict some kind of battle. Holographic ads flickered every now and then, promoting bizarre products such as fur-treatment gel and scale-brushes.

 

Shiro took a couple of pictures before moving on.

 

Just as Keith said, the people milling about the station were not all Galra. Some beings had two pairs of arms and green skin, some had tails, and some even had wings. Large bulbous beings waddled onto the platform, with several smaller beings of the same shape riding on their back. After awhile, though—after several glares pointed to his direction—Shiro realized that his staring was considered rude, so he tried to keep his eyes to himself. 

 

Trugg pointed out that Shiro had to take another train to Orivas Institute, and that the city map was added to his communication devices. Shiro opened said map and immediately went cross-eyed at the intricate railway system. Thankfully, English translation was available.

 

The ride to Orivas Institute was a short one. The institute wasn't that far from the train station, which was incredibly practical. Here too at the institute, Non-Galra students from all over the galaxy walked side by side with Galra students. This time, he was careful not to stare at people for too long to be considered rude.

 

There were welcome banners written in what looked like multiple languages hung over the hedge. Students wearing Orivas Institute pins handed over Institute-related paraphernalia. Within minutes, Shiro was balancing at least five posters he got from them; which he began to regret accepting as they made it hard to walk.

 

His vision partially obscured, Shiro bumped into someone, causing him to drop three of the posters. He apologized profusely while trying to gather the fallen posters, but one rolled away from his reach.

 

“Here”, the Galra he bumped kneeled down and handed the poster over. He was large, maybe a little bit larger than most Galra, with a dark plated crest and handsome face.

 

“Thank you! I’m really, really sorry for bumping into you”, Shiro apologized again. 

 

But the Galra simply helped him roll the posters into one and even helped him up. He didn’t look angry or anything, and Shiro really didn’t want to imagine what an angry Galra looked like. 

 

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” the Galra asked. “I should have been more careful. You are so small that I almost didn’t see you.”

 

Shiro was, by Earth’s definition, definitely not someone people would call  _ small _ ; so to think that other beings found him small was pretty funny, if he wasn’t too busy being embarrassed.

 

“No, no, it was my fault”, Shiro told the Galra. “Um, I should be going to my dorm. Thank you very much for helping me.” He ended his sentence with a bow, before fleeing as fast as his legs could carry him. 

 

— 

 

The dorm was located at the right wing of the building. Each student was given their own room. 

 

Shiro took a once-over the room. It was small, but sleek. A simple bed and desk were attached to the wall, giving some space underneath where boxes containing his things were stuffed. When the bed was not in use, it could be folded onto the wall to give more space to the room. There was a tall mirror inside the room, which could be opened to reveal a storage and a small shower stall.

 

Once he was done exploring, Shiro began to unpack his stuff excitedly. He put the posters on the wall first, which immediately added some colors into the room. His star projector went to the desk and it displayed constellations seen from Earth, which made Shiro pause to think.

 

He was,  _ literally _ , on an alien planet. Night sky on Daibazaal would look different to him, unfamiliar. He wouldn’t recognize any of the stars here; which made him doubly glad that he could take the star projector with him.

 

His grandparents’ picture went next to the star projector, along with a small incense burner, a bell, and a small platform to place offerings. It made his desk super cramped, but it really couldn’t be helped. Shiro wondered if he was allowed to bring in a small table to be used as altar; he put that in his mental note to ask to Gnov on their next meeting. 

 

He put his clothes inside the storage. He didn’t bring too many clothes—Gnov told him he would be provided with Galran clothes, which would be delivered later. Shiro didn’t really know if Galran clothes would look good on him. He was significantly smaller than them. But he decided to trust Gnov on this.

 

Once he was done, he heaved himself onto the bed and began to check his schedule.

 

—

 

As it turned out, there was a welcome party at the campus’ multipurpose hall. According to his guidebook, the hall was normally used as an auditorium of some sort; the floor could be raised to make tiered seats. Shiro was not an interior designer, but he was forever impressed by how efficient the Galran designs were.

 

The party itself was rather boring, though. Shiro didn’t know anyone around—which was the purpose of the party, he supposed, to mingle with others. He was the only Human around too, and Shiro wondered why there was no other Human applying to Orivas Institute.

 

His musing was interrupted when a guy with blue skin and lazy eyes leaned on the wall next to him. 

 

“Boring stuff, huh?” the guy said. He didn’t wait for Shiro to answer before asking, “You’re that exchange program kid? The one from ‘Earth’?”

 

“Yeah, that’s me”, Shiro answered. He began to wonder if the exchange program was really that popular.

 

“Cool”, the guy drawled. “I’m Rolo.”

 

Shiro noticed that this guy, Rolo, was beginning to inch into his personal space. Panic alarm blaring inside his head, Shiro began to look around frantically for an escape. Apparently, Lady Luck was smiling at him tonight when he spotted the Galra he bumped earlier sitting at the back row of the hall.

 

“Uhh, I think I just saw my friend”, Shiro pointed at said Galra. “Nice talking with you, Rolo.”

 

He didn’t wait until Rolo say anything else and quickly headed towards the Galra—who looked surprised when Shiro slipped into the seat next to him

 

“I hope you don’t mind if I sit with you. I just lied to someone that I have friends here so I can't go sit alone”, Shiro quickly said.

 

The Galra eyed him before he looked around. His eyes met with Rolo standing, slightly fuming, a few feet away from them. 

 

“No, not at all. I don’t mind you sitting here”, the Galra told him. He looked a bit awkward, which was kind of cute to see in a Galra twice Shiro’s height. “My name is Zarkon.”

 

“I’m Shiro”, Shiro returned with an awkward smile on his face. “I’m one of the exchange students from Earth, but you… probably already knew that.”

 

“Wait… Really?” Zarkon’s eyes widened before they shifted to stare at Shiro’s ears. “Oh my! I did not realize that you are not an Altean! Please pardon my rudeness.”

 

Shiro didn’t know anything about the Alteans, save for the fact that they were, apparently, the Galra’s oldest ally. He didn’t even know how they look like—so he nodded awkwardly, not knowing what to say. 

 

Thankfully, Zarkon didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness, because he continued, “How are you liking Daibazaal so far? This is your first day, correct?”

 

“Yes! I love it!” Shiro said excitedly. “Everything is so advanced and efficient here. I can’t wait to explore the place, although… I was told that Orivas got sandstorms six months out of ten?” 

 

“It is, yes, but the particle barrier takes care of that. You don’t have to worry getting caught in a sandstorm as long as you stay inside”, Zarkon said. “There are plenty of places to see at Orivas.”

 

Zarkon then began to list off popular places to hang out at Orivas. He made a mental note to check them all in his guidebook—the mall seemed to be an obvious choice that Shiro would visit some time later in the week

 

“Sadly I don’t think I can go out much. I’m supposed to be studying here, not sightseeing around”, Shiro said. According to Gnov, Shiro had a lot to catch up to since he came from a less than advanced civilization. Adjusting to live on Daibazaal wouldn’t be easy.

 

“That is true, indeed”, Zarkon hummed.

 

A piercing beep rang out, and Zarkon immediately jumped to his feet, reaching into his sash to retrieve a communication device. “I need to answer this, please pardon me.”

 

Shiro nodded at him and Zarkon walked away. Only then Shiro realized what a mistake this was, because Rolo began to approach him again.

 

“Please go away or I’ll make a scene”, Shiro threatened, hoping that it would be enough.

 

Rolo raised his hands in surrendering gesture. “You have high standards, I respect that. But aren’t you aiming a little bit too high?”

 

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked before he could stop himself.

 

“You don’t know because you’re new around; but let me tell you this. Go lower”, Rolo said.

 

“What? Like you?” Shiro said sarcastically.

 

Before Rolo could answer, Zarkon towered above them both, glowering at Rolo briefly before turning to Shiro. “Is this man bothering you, Shiro?”

 

Shiro considered this for a bit, before finally answering with a shrug. “Nah, we’re done talking.”

 

“Very well”, Zarkon growled. “You can go now.”

 

Rolo glowered, but he walked away without making a fuss, which made Shiro relieved. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Zarkon hovering, as if unsure to approach.

 

“I really can’t thank you enough”, Shiro told him with a weak smile. Getting hit on by a literal alien was not something that he expected when he entered the exchange program. “I'm going to have to deal with people hitting me on from now on, aren’t I?”

 

Zarkon frowned. “The exchange program is a big deal to everyone. You have full diplomatic immunity granted by Emperor Jarvax. Some…  _ unsavory  _ people might try to get closer to you to take advantage of that.”

 

_ Great _ . Not only he had to deal with people hitting him on, he always had to be suspicious of people trying to get closer to him for their own gain. Why couldn’t it be a simple exchange program?

 

He eyed Zarkon who was still staring at him and looking concerned. Zarkon looked so open and honest—and he couldn’t be trying to use him like  _ that _ , right?

 

“How about you?” Shiro asked. “Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

 

Zarkon laughed—it was a full belly laugh, which surprised Shiro.

 

“Believe me, your diplomatic immunity is the least thing I will ever need”, he said once he was done laughing. Shiro raised his eyebrows, confused—and thankfully, Zarkon elaborated. “My parents are high-ranked military members. I am rather used to people trying to get close to me for their own gain.” He ended with a bitter smile.

 

_ Oh _ , Shiro thought. That explained it. “Well… thank you for your honesty.”

 

“You are very welcome”, Zarkon bowed slightly. The simple act made strange warm feeling to bubble inside Shiro’s stomach.

 

_ Oh no _ , Shiro thought when Zarkon excused himself to get more drink. He recognized exactly what that warm feeling meant.

 

He was having a crush on Zarkon.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Shiro got back into his dorm, he immediately called Keith to rant about everything that happened,  _ not  _ including the fact that he got saved from being hit on and his budding crush to his savior. Keith wouldn’t let him live it down if Shiro told him about them.

 

“Why did nobody tell me about the diplomatic immunity thing?” Shiro ranted. “I feel like that should be something people told me about. Why did nobody tell me about it??”

 

“Maybe because it’s  _ so  _ obvious that people don’t feel the need to tell you about it?” Keith said with a deadpan. 

 

Shiro groaned and rubbed his face—Keith was right. However— 

 

“Keith.” Shiro turned to the screen and said very, very seriously. “I can’t be trusted with diplomatic immunity. What if I fucked up??”

 

Last time, Shiro was only the Garrison’s Golden Boy when he, Adam, and Keith somehow managed to get involved in an Incident (with capital ‘I’). it resulted in an instructor’s car getting completely trashed and Shiro having to be rushed to the ER because he accidentally inhaled a toxic substance. It took Shiro  _ four months _ to get back into Iverson’s good graces.

 

“ _ Takashi _ , relax”, Keith sighed. He looked so done with him already. “You’re like the most responsible person I’ve ever seen. You’ll be fine.”

 

“The Incident”, Shiro stared at Keith dead in the eye. He would always remind Keith and Adam of  _ it _ whenever they attempted to do something remotely risky.

 

“That was like two years ago!” Keith groaned and rubbed his face. “Why are you so slow to move on?”

 

“Adam would say otherwise”, Shiro muttered before he could stop himself, and felt sharp pain in his chest when he remembered about Adam.

 

There was an awkward silence just like any other time Adam was accidentally brought up. Keith sighed again.

 

“Well, Adam’s not there. Actually, I’d be worried if you brought him with you”, Keith said, a fake concerned expression on his face. “You didn’t smuggle him to Daibazaal with you, right, Shiro?”

 

“What—no!” That suggestion was so out of nowhere—and why would he bring his  _ ex _ -boyfriend anyway? “How would that work anyway?”

 

“Well, good”, Keith said with a smirk. “Now, did you find a rebound already? Please tell me you found a rebound already. I can’t stand you being all mopey about Adam.”

 

Shiro thought back about Zarkon—about how honest and  _ handsome  _ he was—and felt his face heating up. “K-Keith!”

 

“Oooohhhh! You did! Oh my gosh, Takashi! Well, not that I can blame you there. Galra are  _ hot! _ ” Keith cackled. “Now tell me, is he handsome? C’mon, dude, I need all the juicy details.”

 

“I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.” Shiro covered his face and groaned. “Isn’t it like past midnight there?”

 

“Psh, sleep is for the weak.” Keith flapped his hand. “Now quit it with the distraction! Details.  _ Now _ .”

 

“I’m not sharing my romantic life with you!” Shiro crossed his arms. That was not completely true, and both him and Keith knew it.

 

“I’m gonna be really considerate and not bring up your past romantic life right now”, Keith threatened. “Now, c’mon! Is he hot? Is he the fluffy type, lizard type, or somewhere inbetween?”

 

“Lizard—wait, I’m not telling you anything!”

 

Keith cackled. “So he’s a lizard type? I always found lizard type Galra hotter too, don’t worry—but that’s only because my mom’s family are mostly fluffy type Galra so that’ll be weird if I find them hot. Yuck! Can you imagine the shedding?” 

 

Shiro tried not to think about Galra shedding. “The lizard type won’t shed, would they?”

 

“Nope. They flake, or  _ molt _ . Depends”, Keith shrugged, and Shiro tried  _ really hard _ not to think about Zarkon molting. “You’re not thinking about helping your soon-to-be boyfriend molt, are you?” Keith laughed.

 

“Wh—no! Keith!” Shiro was pretty sure that his face was as red as tomato right now. That was actually an adorable mental image; him helping to brush Zarkon’s naked back. Did he have similar plating on his back like the one on his head too? He probably had a soft leathery belly, like a turtle or a lizard.

 

“You filthy, filthy xeno-fucker.” Keith giggled.

 

“I’m hanging up on you”, Shiro threatened.

 

Keith laughed harder.

 

—

 

The next morning, Shiro went to the main campus building to talk with Gnov about his classes.

 

Orivas Institute was so humongous that it made Galaxy Garrison on Earth looked like a supply closet in comparison (okay, not really, but seriously… the Institute was  _ huge _ ). Personal vehicles were not allowed on the campus ground, but a monorail system was available to connect from building to building. Shiro’s dorm was pretty far from the counseling office, which was located at the center of the Institute, so he had to take the monorail there.

 

As he waited for the monorail to arrive, Shiro made a mental note to memorize the schedule so he wouldn’t be late to his classes.

 

Gnov was already waiting for him when Shiro arrived at her office. She was a stern-looking Galra with dark markings around her eyes and lighter markings on her forehead. She wore a maroon tunic with a golden Orivas Institute pin on her chest. They shook hands in formality before she offered him to sit.

 

“How are you adjusting to life on Daibazaal so far, Shiro?” she asked. Shiro thought about how this was the third time he was asked that question.

 

“Pretty great, I think. I didn’t oversleep and the food is pretty good”, Shiro replied with a smile. 

 

Daibazaal’s rotational period was roughly twenty hours a day, as opposed to Earth’s twenty four. This time difference would take time to adjust to and Shiro was mostly worried that he wouldn’t get enough sleep once the classes started.

 

“I will adjust your classes to allow you to get plenty of rest. It will take you longer to finish your education, but I suppose that can’t be helped”, Gnov said as she tapped something on her screens.

 

“Thank you, Ma’am”, Shiro told her.

 

“I also have arranged you to meet with a physician once a week. His name is Ulaz, from Orivas Central Hospital. He’s a renowned expert in xenopatphology. Please consult with him regarding your physical examinations and therapies. I’m sending his contact to your comm device”, Gnov said. Shiro’s comm beeped and he skimmed the information she just gave him.

 

Ulaz was a pale Galra with white stripe of fur on the top of his head. His bone structure and pale complexion made him look delicate, almost doll-like. Shiro groaned internally at his own Gay Thoughts before returning his attention back to Gnov.

 

“As for your courses to acclimatize with our technology, I’m afraid there’s only one volunteer. Their name is Kolivan, one of our professors here. They’re taking a break from teaching after a boating accident”, Gnov continued as she sent another file. Another Galra showed up on Shiro’s screen. They had similar coloring to Ulaz, blue skinned with sharp cheekbones that accentuated their attractive face.

 

Keith was right about one thing, at least; Galra were  _ hot _ . Although, Shiro thought almost dreamily, no one was as attractive as Zarkon.

 

“Your Galran language is good enough, so I’m not going suggest you to take language course. As for now, I’ve discussed with one of your teacher, Professor Zarkon, about extra classes before the term begins. You might want to check with him first”, Gnov said, and Shiro’s train of thought screeched into a halt.

 

“ _ Professor _ Zarkon?” he repeated.

 

Zarkon was a professor?

 

Zarkon was  _ his  _ professor?

 

“Is there any problem? I understand that his… reputation often precedes him, but he’s a nice fellow, I assure you”, Gnov continued, completely oblivious to Shiro internally cycling through all stages of grief right in front of her.

 

“I, um. Alright, if you say so…” Shiro didn’t know what else to say.

 

After all, he couldn’t exactly tell her that he was developing a crush on one of his professors before the term even started.

 

—

 

While Daibazaal’s rotational period was shorter, it had more days in a week—ten days a week and forty days a month. There were ten months in a year. Since Oradis Province was located at the equator, there were only two seasons which lasted roughly five months.

 

According to Shiro’s guidebook, the Oradians celebrated five major holidays every year; there was one in every two months. They were Dral’Zaivarti (Day of Ascension), Dral’Zeravis (Day of Planting), Dral’Skala (Day of Longing), Dral’Kavnar (Day of Unification), and Dral’Varavis (Day of Harvest). Shiro’s term began in three days, five days after Dral’Zaivarti.

 

He checked his schedule and saw that he only had one to two classes each day, each class lasted for two to five hours. Outside of that, there were his physicals, acclimatization course, and extra courses. There were three days break each week, with his physicals scheduled on one of them. Shiro was grateful for this arrangement and hoped that he didn’t have to struggle to catch up with everything.

 

He was so focused on his datapad that he didn’t see where he was going. 

 

Before he knew it, someone yanked the back of his clothes, which caused him to stumble backwards. He was about to get angry, when a monorail car wheezed past him before it came to a stop. Shiro’s eyes widened and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

 

“You should have been more careful”, a familiar voice chided him. Shiro turned and found Zarkon behind him, his fist still clutching at the back of Shiro’s clothes. Zarkon released him and continued, “You could’ve gotten hurt.”

 

“I—Oh my gosh, you saved my life again”, Shiro said with a small bow. “Thanks, um. Professor.”

 

“Are you heading somewhere?” Zarkon asked, pointing at the monorail car.

 

“Oh! Oh, right. Um, please. You first”, Shiro stepped aside to let Zarkon enter the car. He followed and soon, the door closed behind him. 

 

The car was almost empty save for the two of them—maybe because the term had not yet started. Shiro took a seat next to Zarkon and eyed the Galra from the corner of his eyes. When Zarkon’s eyes shifted to stare at him, Shiro quickly averted his eyes, his face heating up. For a moment, an awkward silence hung between them—that was until Shiro could compose himself.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me that you’re a professor?” Shiro asked. It was hard not to sound accusing, but he was genuinely curious why Zarkon never brought it up.

 

“It sounds silly, but… I forgot that I’m a professor”, Zarkon answered with a weak shrug. 

 

Shiro blinked before letting out a helpless giggle. “You  _ forgot? _ ”

 

“W-well! In my defense, i just very recently became a professor.” Zarkon’s cheeks turned into a darker shade of purple, so were the tip of his ears. “I was a student too, before now.”

 

He was  _ blushing _ , Shiro realized— _ so adorable _ . He fiercely stamped the errant thought down. He was  _ not _ going to crush over his professor  _ again _ —nope,  _ not gonna happen _ .

 

“What are you teaching, Professor?” Shiro asked, hoping that his voice didn’t sound weird.

 

“Aerodynamics”, Zarkon answered. “We’ll probably see each other in classes a lot that you’ll get sick of me by the end of the term.”

 

_ Yeah, not gonna happen _ , Shiro thought.

 

Before he could say anything else, a robotic voice announced that they were nearing the Astronautical Engineering building.

 

“Oh, that’s my stop”, Zarkon’s ears perked up. “Please excuse me.”

 

“O-oh, right.” Shiro shifted aside and watched as Zarkon walked out of the car. Once the car started moving again, only then Shiro realized that he was supposed to discuss about his extra classes with Zarkon.

 

“Oh well…” Shiro sighed.

 

He was so  _ screwed _ .

 

—

 

Shiro walked out of the station at the residential area where most people who worked at the Institute lived. The houses were tall and narrow to save up space, and some of them were decorated with lush foliage. Professor Kolivan’s place was a dark blue house with purple and red vines were hanging from its roof. 

 

After ringing the bell, Shiro waited until a tall Galra came out of the front door.

 

Kolivan looked even more handsome in person, with their hair falling loose over their shoulder. Their sharp cheekbones and strong jaw contrasted nicely with the softness of their hair and ear tufts. Their build was slimmer than Zarkon, more feminine-looking.

 

“You are the exchange student, Takashi Shirogane”, Kolivan said, and Shiro was surprised at how deep their voice was. They offered their hand, which he took, blushing. He hoped they didn’t catch him checking them out.

 

Kolivan moved the hoverchair they were sitting in aside to let Shiro into their house. Shiro didn’t know where he had to look—he didn’t want to be rude to stare at the professor’s house, but he also didn’t want to stare at Kolivan, whose legs were encased in a strange metallic band. Thankfully, Kolivan saved him from the awkwardness.

 

“I was mauled by a kokonoa during the Hunt”, Kolivan told him. “Galra have higher bone density which made it hard to break. Unfortunately, it means once it breaks, it takes a very long time to heal.”

 

Shiro winced and held his right wrist. He didn’t know what a kokonoa or the Hunt was, so he kept his silence. But the part with broken bones, he could totally relate. “That sounds rough.”

 

“It’s alright to ask, you know”, Kolivan said. “Your acclimatization should not be limited to knowledge about our technology, but also our culture and daily life.”

 

_ That’s fair _ , Shiro thought. “What’s a kokonoa? And the Hunt?”

 

“A marine mammal the size of a small cruiser”, Kolivan replied, pulling out a holoscreen in front of them. It showed a crocodile-like animal with flippers instead of legs. Shiro’s eyes widened—he saw how huge even the smallest cruiser the Galra used.

 

“As for the Hunt… As you may have noticed, I am not an Oradian Galra; I am a Lorian, and the Hunt is a part of Dral’Zaivarti ritual for us. Do you know what Dral’Zaivarti is?” Kolivan asked. 

 

Shiro nodded. “The Day of Ascension. It’s the day where Emperor Jarvax rose to the throne”, he answered. “But, wait—You’re a Lorian! I know someone who’s a Lorian; or, well… part-Lorian, I guess.”

 

“Keith, right?” Kolivan said with a small smile. “His mother, Krolia, is like  family to me. I heard a few things about you from Keith.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Shiro smiled awkwardly—he  _ really _ hoped that Keith didn’t say anything embarrassing to Kolivan. “Keith is like, my best friend. He’s like a brother I’ve never had”, he said. 

 

And like a little brother Shiro had never had, Keith was an annoying little shit he would ride or die for.

 

“Then I guess we are like family too”, Kolivan’s smile widened. “To us Lorians, family are everything.”

 

“Small universe, huh”, Shiro mused.

 

“You’ll find that is more true than you’ve ever imagined”, Kolivan said. “I guess that part about family is the only thing I like about being a Lorian. You may have heard from Keith about us being… less accepting to Non-Lorian and Non-Galra alike.”

 

“Keith told me something about that, yeah.” Shiro rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He didn’t know enough about the Galra to make a judgement about it.

 

“Of course, there are Lorians who are more accepting to Non-Lorian and Non-Galra—we are not a monolithic society, after all. But even now, racism and xenophobia still run deep among many Lorians”, Kolivan explained. “Oradians, in comparison, are more accepting to new people and ideas, I’ve found. Most of them are more than eager to learn about other cultures and societies. Currently, there are more than five thousand Non-Galra species living on Oradis Province alone.”

 

“Five thousand?! That’s insane!” Shiro blurted out before he could stop himself.

 

“Indeed. Three of them are so prevalent that the Oradian government began to be more inclusive of them. They are the Alteans, the Dalterians, and the Rygnirs” Kolivan explained. “You may have noticed that things such as the train announcement is available in more than one language?”

 

“I did! I saw ads directed to a Non-Galra species at the Great Station”, Shiro said. “This is so amazing! When us—I mean, Humans—imagined about meeting Non-Human species, we often pictured them being so monolithic and boring. I guess I’m glad that it’s more diverse than we ever imagined.”

 

“I’m glad that you are as excited as I was when I stepped into Oradis Province for the first time all those years ago, Shiro”, Kolivan said. “Now, shall we begin your crash course in Oradian culture and technology?”

 

“I’m ready”, Shiro replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i thought i already posted this chapter before i went on hiatus ooops
> 
> anyway, hope you enjoy!

“I can’t live like this…” Shiro moaned at Keith dramatically. “Why are all the Galra I met so hot… I’m gonna die from all these gay feelings inside me.” 

 

“Oh no, what a tragedy”, Keith replied with the most deadpan expression on his face.

 

“I’m  _ serious _ . Even Kolivan is so beautiful, I’m gonna die”, Shiro sobbed.

 

“I do  _ not _ need to hear this right now—” Keith grumbled, but Shiro interrupted.

 

“They’re so  _ beautiful _ , Keith. Their jawline, their slim but strong body, their long and luscious hair…”

 

“I’m gonna hang up on you, Takashi Shirogane”, Keith threatened.

 

“Nooooooooooooooooooo”, Shiro moaned. “Don’t leave me alone with my gay feels, you  _ traitor _ . Why did you never tell me you have such a beautiful pseudo-uncle??”

 

“Kolivan literally changed my diapers so I really,  _ really _ can’t relate with you right now”, Keith said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Speaking of, what happened to your lizardy soon-to-be boyfriend? I thought you’re gonna turn that good ol’ Shirogane charm on him.”

 

Shiro bawled as his head met with the desk in front of him. God, that still hurt to think about. At least he knew that it was not meant to happen—Zarkon was a rebound crush to fill the gap that Adam left behind, simple as that.

 

“… He’s your professor, isn’t he?” Keith deadpanned. Shiro let out a long suffering groan. “There, there.”

 

Shiro let out another groan. It wasn’t fair. Why did he always fall for older guys? Even Adam was two years older than him. He should have known that it would only end in his own misery. 

 

“Well, it's only impossible if you’re a coward”, Keith hummed. When Shiro raised his face, there was a knowing smirk on Keith’s face. “How old is he? Not that old, probably, seeing that you mistook him as a student.”

 

“Please don’t enable me…” Shiro rubbed his face and sighed. “How is—”

 

“If you ask about Adam, I will come over to Daibazaal and beat you with my mom’s blade,  _ don’t  _ try me”, Keith threatened, but his expression softened soon after. “What I meant to say is—you need to move on. So what if this mysterious and sexy lizardy Galran professor is your rebound crush?”

 

“Are you kidding? He’s my professor!” Shiro stared at Keith in horror. “At least Kolivan is not my professor. What if we break up?”

 

“So? If he gives you shit grade because you two break up, that means he’s an unprofessional prick and you shouldn’t be dating him anyways”, Keith said with a shrug. “Besides, don’t think that you’re gonna break up with him. If he’s a keeper,  _ keep him _ .”

 

Shiro dropped his head on the desk again and groaned. He didn’t really know how to bring it up to Zarkon without making it weird. He  _ did _ like Zarkon and found that he was nice to talk with. He didn’t want to make whatever they had turn weird.

 

“At least whoever this crush of yours is, he’s probably a bajillion time better than Kolivan”, he could hear Keith mutter. “Can you believe that they freakin’ fought a gigantic prehistoric alien crocodile last Dral’Zaivarti? Mom thought they were gonna die a stupid death.”

 

“They told me about it”, Shiro told Keit, raising his face a little. “That sounds super badass.”

 

“I thought  _ Mom  _ was bad enough, but nah. Her entire family is just a bunch of adrenaline junkies stuck together with Galran bonds”, Keith grumbled, crossing his arms.

 

“You’re not telling me all these so I won’t chase after your pseudo-uncle, are you?” Shiro eyed Keith. 

 

Keith was quiet for awhile, before pouting. “Did it work?”

 

“Takes more than one embarrassing story to make me stop chasing them”, Shiro grinned mischievously.

 

“Oh come on!”

 

—

 

The next day, Shiro took a train to Orivas Central Hospital right after breakfast. The ride was rather short and before he knew it, Shiro was waiting outside Dr. Ulaz’ office. There was a short queue already, despite arriving pretty early in the morning.

 

He looked at his schedule again. He was supposed to talk to Zarkon about his extra classes before the term began in two days, but he didn’t know how to contact the Galra or where to find him. He supposed he could look at the Astronautical Engineering building—he was supposed to look around the place he would be spending most of his time for the next five years anyway.

 

“Taka—Takazi Zerogane?” the Galra nurse called and Shiro held back a sigh. He thought he’d left this weird mispronouncing of his name back on Earth. Apparently not.

 

“It’s Takashi Shirogane”, he corrected the nurse before entering the doctor’s office.

 

Like any other Galran building, the interior of Dr. Ulaz’ office was simple and efficient, with purplish blue light lining its dark walls. The doctor was standing behind a simple desk with blank screens blinking around him and bathing him in soft blue light. His figure stood out against his surrounding as he was wearing long, light grey tunic that reached his ankle. 

 

“Hello, Takashi Shirogane. My name is Laivani Zaala, but you may call me Ulaz”, Ulaz introduced himself and offered his hand.

 

“Nice to meet you, Doctor. Please call me Shiro.” Shiro shook Ulaz’ hand.

 

“Alright, Shiro. Please be seated”, Ulaz offered. Shiro sat down on the seat in front of Ulaz’ desk while the Galra pulled a screen closer to him. “In your files, it is said that you have a genetic degenerative disease called osteoarthritis. Can you tell me a little about it?”

 

Shiro wondered if Galra didn’t have osteoarthritis, but then he remembered Kolivan saying that Galra bones were denser. Their joints were probably stronger than Human joints.

 

“Well, in osteoarthritis, the cartilage between the joints wears down and causes rubbing between the bones”, Shiro explained. “It’s not deadly, but it’s painful and it gets worse over time. Currently, there is no cure to reverse the damage yet, only temporary solution to slow it down and treat the symptoms.”

 

“I see”, Ulaz tapped the screen in front of him. “And you’ve had it for five years now, correct?”

 

“Yeah, I broke my wrist in an accident back when I was in—back when I was a teenager. It never healed the same”, Shiro told Ulaz, holding his wrist with his healthy hand. Briefly, he remembered about the accident that took his parents and extinguished his dream to become a pilot.

 

He was only a highschool freshman back then.

 

“I see. Well, the Galra believe that no disease is incurable, only ones which cure we haven't found yet”, Ulaz said. “My team and I will help you find the cure for your osteoarthritis, Shiro.”

 

Back on Earth, whenever he checked up with his doctor, he could only remember the feel of constant disappointment. Now, in Ulaz’ office, he felt something like hope blooming deep inside his chest. He looked up to Ulaz and give the Galra doctor a small smile.

 

—

 

Ulaz wanted to closely examine Shiro’s affected joint, so he arranged for several tests to be done. The first one was called quantum field imaging which would allow it to closely examine the anatomy of Shiro’s wrist.

 

“I don’t think we have something like this on Earth”, Shiro told the operator, a Galra named Hepta.

 

“Just relax”, Hepta told him. “You are the first Human to be examined with the quantum field imaging.”

 

_ Yeah _ , that didn’t sound very reassuring.

 

The process didn’t hurt at all, and an image of his wrist anatomy appeared above him. It was pretty bizarre to see the damaged joint this clear.

 

Before he could contemplate about it further, Ulaz entered the room. The Galra hummed and hawed as he examined the image of Shiro’s joint and cartilage.

 

“I see…” Ulaz hummed. “I’ve seen something similar to this in my Altean patients. If I recall correctly, the deterioration cannot be reversed. But they’ve found a way to replace the joint with an artificial one.”

 

Shiro thought back about the injections and talks about joint replacement back on Earth, and he winced.

 

“My, uh, my Human doctors suggested that— to replace the joint with an artificial one. But it’s… kind of costy”, he told Ulaz. “And risky.”

 

“Do not worry about the expense, Shiro. Just focus on getting better”, Ulaz reassured him. “As for the risks, we will do everything we can to minimize it.”

 

Hepta turned off the quantum field machine, and Shiro and Ulaz moved back to Ulaz’ office. 

 

“It will be a major surgery, so I will recommend you to do it during one of your semester breaks. For now, I will prescribe you some pain medications”, Ulaz said. “Oh, and a recovery cuff too.”

 

“What’s that?” Shiro asked.

 

“It’s a metallic band to keep your joint aligned and secure. It also injects a very small dosage of quintessence to keep your joints from deteriorating further”, Ulaz explained. Shiro thought about Kolivan’s metallic bands on their leg and wondered if they were the same thing.

 

“Okay, then…” he said.

 

The session with Ulaz ended and Shiro walked out of the hospital with a new cuff. He couldn’t use his right hand perfectly, but at least it hurt less. Thankfully, he learned to use his left hand as his new dominant hand all those years ago.

 

—

 

After his visit to the hospital, there was still time until his curfew, so Shiro decided to check a nearby mall, Darsina Mall.

 

Kolivan didn’t exaggerate when they said that there were five thousand Non-Galra species on Oradis Province alone. Wherever he looked, Non-Galra walked in peace. There was no segregation between Galra and Non-Galra; and it made Shiro feel less out of place. Orivas was truly a multicultural hub, he thought as he looked over the stores catering to Non-Galran.

 

In no time, he was already looking at an Altean clothes store. The shopkeeper seemed to be under the impression that he was an Altean, no matter how many times Shiro tried to correct her. She was trying to sell him the latest fashion from Altea, which was so brightly colored it hurt his eyes.

 

In the end, Shiro caved in and bought a simple black and white tunic that matched his new cuff.

 

Shiro’s exchange program gave him full accommodation plus allowance during his stay on Daibazaal. Shiro tried not to think the amount that the Galra gave him— the transportation from Earth to Daibazaal alone cost  _ a lot _ of money, it made his head spin. Instead, he promised to study to the best of his ability and not to spend money more than what he needed.

 

Not wanting to be tempted into buying more unnecessary stuff, Shiro headed to the food court section of the mall.

 

He was starting to get used with Oradian food, which—in Shiro’s honest opinion—tasted a lot better than American food. Oradian food was the perfect balance between sour, spicy, and savory; it kind of reminded him of South Asian food. Shiro wondered if it was because both South Asia and Oradis were located at the equator, so the spices tasted almost the same.

 

The food court sold more than just Oradian food, though—actually, it sold more than just  _ Galran _ food. Shiro was not a food junkie like his late  _ obasan _ , but seeing so many alien food in front of him made him  _ itching _ to taste everything.

 

He was curious with Altean food—especially since people he met often compared him, a Human, to an Altean. He was curious if their food tasted the same.

 

As it turned out… it wasn’t. Altean food looked highly unappealing and looked more like very smelly goop. Shiro tried so hard not to make face in front of the Altean server and moved to the next stall. This one sold Rygniran food, which smelled like Oradian food, except it consisted mostly of strange vegetables covered in oozing—for the lack of better word— _ pustules _ . 

 

Once again, Shiro moved to the next stall, which sold Dalterian food. It looked slightly more appealing, so he bought a set of something that looked kinda like green noodles with various side dishes, and carried it to an empty table provided.

 

One of the side dishes looked like spring rolls, so Shiro tried that first. It was very crispy on the outside but filled with sour and sweet jam on the inside, which kind of surprising to Shiro. He thought it was filled with some kind of meat or fish, and he definitely wasn’t expecting it to be  _ that _ sweet his tooth almost ached.

 

He tried to eat the spring rolls with the noodle, which seemed to be made of some kind of vegetable. The noodle was plain and it made the jam less sweet, which was good. It almost tasted like  _ teriyaki  _ noodle with fruits instead of meat. Within ten minutes, Shiro ate everything on his plate and moved to find some drinks.

 

A lot of Oradian drinks were served cold, which made sense since it was located in the middle of a desert. There were cold sour drink, cold sweet drink— there was even cold spicy drink. Intrigued, Shiro bought that one and found that he actually enjoyed it. The ice cubes in the drink was fruit-flavored.

 

“Having a fun culinary trip?” a familiar voice asked. Shiro turned and found Zarkon buying drinks from the stall next to him.

 

“Oh, hello, um. Professor”, Shiro bowed his head slightly.

 

“Please don’t call me professor. We are not in a classroom”, Zarkon chided with a small smile. 

 

“Alright then, Zarkon, Sir”, he conceded. “And no, I was only getting lunch. While trying new stuff, yeah.”

 

“Found anything you like?” Zarkon asked. He looked genuinely curious.

 

“I tried Dalterian food. What was it called— _ ylvamer _ ?” Shiro hoped he didn’t completely butcher the pronunciation. “It kind of reminds me of food from home.”

 

“That’s a nice one”, Zarkon said. “If you’re interested to try, Ndalu Galran food shares similar palate to Dalterian food. I am especially fond of  _ mlakala tla’lo  _ and  _ walu’ubi. _ ”

 

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind”, Shiro replied with a smile.

 

They chatted about food and stuff for a bit. Zarkon admitted that he was missing food from home badly and Shiro found out that Zarkon was not from Orivas. As it turned out, Zarkon was born and raised in Yerevna. 

 

“It’s located up in the mountain range and it’s closer to Yarra Province than it is to Orivas. You may find that our native food is a combination between Yarran food and Oradian food”, Zarkon explained excitedly. After that, he told Shiro about all the good vacation spots. Some of them were less well-known, which meant less tourists crowding the place. 

 

But then Shiro noticed that his ears were ringing. After the accident, his ears would ring from tinnitus sometimes—but it never happened while he was out in public, where it was loud and noisy.

 

Shiro looked at Zarkon, who seemed to notice that something was wrong with him. He was about to reassure the Galra that he was okay, but his chest got impossibly tight—as if he was being squeezed by a giant invisible hand. He raised his hand to reach Zarkon’s hand just as his vision narrowed.

 

The last thing he saw was Zarkon’s worried look. Then, everything went dark.

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know what you think in the comment or go scream @ [my tumblr](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com) :3


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